Mufti hopes Sharif will improve Indo-Pak ties

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday said he hoped that the Indo-Pak peace process would gain pace “as the designated Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif has been an ardent supporter of improvement of relations with India”.

Addressing party workers in the Samba area of Jammu, he said the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan has provided an opportunity to take some bold initiatives for the resolution of all issues between the two countries, including the Kashmir problem.

“The decisive verdict given by Pakistani voters to Nawaz Sharif is a very positive and encouraging development for restoring lasting peace in this region,” said Mufti, recalling that during his earlier tenures, Sharif had initiated many bold steps to normalise Indo-Pak relations.

He especially mentioned the historic Lahore bus service, which was started when Sharif was prime minister of Pakistan. “Sharif had always emphasised on the continuity of the peace talks so that the outstanding issues could be resolved amicably,” the PDP patron said.

“The brighter side of Pakistan’s experience with the democratic system is that, unlike in many other countries, voters in huge numbers have displayed tremendous courage and commitment by defying serious threat to their lives and turning out to vote for a decisive change,” he said.